Play store
The UN’s climate science panel has failed to agree on a publication date for its next major report on global warming after a week of difficult negotiations, with divisions emerging over whether to release it in 2028 or 2029.
Benoit Faraco, France’s senior envoy at the talks, said on Friday that a small number of countries had pushed to delay the report beyond 2028, the timeline favoured by many European nations.
“A few countries” sought to slow the process, while a broad coalition of developed and developing nations from all five continents supported the timeline proposed by scientists, Faraco said in a LinkedIn post.
The deadlock risks wasting valuable time in the global response to climate change, he added.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN’s leading authority on climate science, produces comprehensive assessments that guide governments in shaping climate policies. Many countries want its seventh assessment report published in 2028 to help inform a crucial review of global progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
However, countries including Saudi Arabia, India and China have argued that postponing publication until 2029 would give developing nations more time to absorb the findings.
When the meeting opened in Addis Ababa on Monday, IPCC Chair Jim Skea urged countries to break the deadlock, warning of the organisational and reputational consequences of their decision.
Last week, ministers from more than 30 countries signed a letter criticising nations whose entrenched interests conflict with efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The signatories warned that separating UN climate policy discussions from the scientific evidence provided by the IPCC would undermine global efforts to tackle climate change and weaken international cooperation.
The group included European and other industrialised nations, alongside representatives of the 44 least developed countries, small island states and emerging economies.
Tina Stege, climate envoy for the Marshall Islands, which faces severe risks from rising sea levels, condemned the delay.
She said the failure to agree on a timeline was a serious setback for countries that rely on IPCC findings to protect lives and livelihoods. She also accused some countries of dismissing proposals on inclusivity, national planning and the need for scientific evidence to inform the next global stocktake of climate action.
Shreeshan Venkatesh of the Climate Action Network said the group was deeply disappointed by the failure to reach an agreement, arguing that countries had sufficient time to settle the issue.
He called for the negotiations to be reconvened as soon as possible, stressing the urgency of addressing escalating climate impacts, particularly in communities least responsible for causing the crisis.
IPCC assessment reports are generally published every five to seven years. The panel’s sixth assessment report was released in 2021.
